Joint pain in young people
The younger we are, often the more active we are and invincible we feel. Running around, playing 10 different sports, getting knocked around and bouncing up again like nothing happened. Unfortunately for some kids and teenagers, this level of activity coupled with growing bones and strong muscles can lead to pain around some of our major joints, including the ankle (Sever’s), knee (Osgood-Schlatter’s) and hip (hip apophysitis). For some this pain can last for a month and for other unlucky people it can stick around for up to 12 months. It’s often described as a dull pain with moments of sharpness when flared. The pain is often worsened with more explosive activities like running, jumping and landing, and it might feel as though there’s a loss of strength or power in your movement.
The joint/bone pain we’re talking about is called apophysitis which roughly translates to inflammation of the growth plate. It tends to occur in kids ranging from 10-18 who are really active or have some extra padding for the bit of growing still to do. The mechanism behind it is relatively well understood. It occurs when the muscles and tendons which attach to the bone are stronger than the bone itself. The bone which is still maturing and growing tends to be softer than the mature bone we see in adults. This results in the tendon pulling on the immature bone which can lead to pain and discomfort at that site. The location of apophysitis correlates specifically with skeletal maturity, which can be approximated with their age. In kids aged 8-12 it tends to be in the ankle, ages 10-14 at the knee, and ages 14-18 it tends to occur in the hips. The reason why some get it and others don’t isn’t very well understood. But what we do know is that there are some things we can do to help manage the condition if it arises. These conditions are generally thought to be self-limiting and resolve of their own accord when the growth plate matures. However, that doesn’t mean that you should be pushing through large amounts of pain in the interim.
The most important thing with apophysitis is load management. This enables the condition to be effectively managed whilst ensuring that kids/teenagers are still able to be kids/teenagers. Rest from aggravating activities is often advised in the short term. In the more ‘sporty’ individuals, avoiding aggravating movements or activities at training initially is important. This allows time for the inflammation to settle down to a manageable level. From there it’s crucial that we correct some of the other factors that may be contributing to the pain like strength, flexibility, balance, and biomechanics.
Having experienced apophysitis when I was in my teenage years, I know how much it can really suck! If you know someone who might be experiencing pain similar to this, then give us a call and let us help guide you back to where you want and need to be.